A city with a rich history and culture
In 1982, China's State Council recognized Kunming as one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities. With a 3,000-year-old history, this city is home to beautiful flowers that bloom throughout the year.
Kunming's history began with the ancient Dian Bronze Culture, evolving through the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) with discoveries of bamboo slips and seal imprints, the explorer Xu Xiake's journey, and the stories of the 1911 Revolution, Nie Er, and the "March of the Volunteers."
Nie Er's cultural legacy
Chai Qinyuan, the conductor of the Kunming Nie Er Symphony Orchestra, shared a story about music. Founded in March 2010, the Kunming Nie Er Symphony Orchestra is composed of 95 percent local musicians from Yunnan, including ethnic minority members. Raised on this land, they passionately showcase their innate musical talent and love for their hometown. The orchestra also delivers over 100 charity concerts annually.
Flowers
Dounan Flower Market, located in Kunming, is the largest fresh cut flower market in Asia.
The market, trading more than 1,600 varieties of flowers daily, the market accounts for over 62 percent of the province's fresh-cut flower production and more than 50 percent of the national trade volume. It has consistently ranked first in the country for 28 years in terms of transaction volume, turnover, cash flow, and the number of transactions.
A thriving business environment in Kunming
Shi Shen from the Yunnan Yunke Specialty Plant Extraction Laboratory, a subsidiary of the Betani Group, emphasizes the importance of government support and favorable talent policies for business growth. He has experienced the effectiveness of these policies first-hand through his work at Yunke.
Experiencing the local lifestyle in Kunming
Xie Fei, an American fluent in Chinese, has worked in Kunming for many years as the deputy curator of Park1903·Kunming Contemporary Art Gallery (CGK). For Xie Fei, Kunming has become his second home. As he observes Yunnan's unique culture captivating global audiences, he feels a strong sense of pride for his adopted hometown.
Recently, Xie Fei has been traveling the globe, promoting Kunming to art institutions around the world, and discovering the growing interest among artists to visit and work in the city. He aims to create opportunities for them, drawing global attention to Yunnan and Kunming.
Liu Shuai, the owner of Puyu Bookstore, originally hails from northern China but was drawn to Kunming during his student days. He appreciates the city's convenient transportation, diverse culture, and its easy access to popular destinations like Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, and Southeast Asia. Kunming also offers a variety of local dishes and ethnic minority cuisine. Over the past 16 years, Liu Shuai has made Kunming his home.
